This is a story that describes events between a couple who go through hell and back again while having disabilities.
★★★
Tag: Birmingham News
Get the latest LGBT+ Birmingham news from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Birmingham in the UK.
-
THEATRE REVIEW | Macbeth, Birmingham Rep
When a story is often told, there is a risk of it getting old, however, with Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin’s Macbeth told the same story but through a completely new lens. It was Stargate meets Resident Evil bent of Macbeth. It had moving chambers and symbols that lit up, just like in the pyramids of the former film, and it had the underground facility feel of Resident Evil, with dim lights, almost appearing like they were trapped in the sewers. ★★★★
Having watched Macbeth the film starring Michael Fassbender, expectations were always going to be high. With this production, you just didn’t know what you were going to get, which made it so much more exciting, and John Heffernan’s Macbeth was his own, and it was genius.
The marvel that was the set made the show start before the actors had even walked on, as the tunnel type design, by Lizzie Clachan, let your mind loose imagining what would be happening first. The set is worthy of stealing all awards for a production’s visual masterpiece.
When the show did start, and through to the end there were no disappointments with the visual of this Macbeth, as every scene was coloured differently with physicality that was otherworldly. Particularly the witches of Macbeth, played by Ana Beatriz Meireles, Jessie Oshodi and Clemmie Sveaas, who stunned the senses with their movement, voice and visual shapes they created as an instrument of telling the story. I was glad to see them throughout the performance.
John Heffernan owned the show with his careful, precise, yet troubled portrayal of Macbeth, where the transitions of the character were strategic and well thought out. There were no exaggerations or contrivance, and there were plenty of shades of Macbeth oozing out of Heffernan, and I particularly loved the end where his last soliloquy was quiet and understated, giving it more a solid effect, as it drew people in to listen.
Unfortunately, Anna Maxwell Martin’s Lady Macbeth was not on the same level. The way she spoke was too quick, making it hard to understand what she was saying, and also overly predictable with presenting herself as mad throughout, not showing much depth to the character. The mad scene became expected and obvious.
Overall, a stunning visual and an outstanding version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that needs to be seen all over the country and beyond.
Macbeth plays at The Birmingham Rep until 30th January, 0121 236 4455
-
THEATRE REVIEW: The Snowman, The Birmingham Rep
The Snowman is a children’s picture book created by Raymond Briggs and was first published in 1978. The Snowman was televised as a 26-minute animated adaptation on the 26th of December 1982, Channel 4, and it conquered many people’s hearts thereon. It is also a production that has graced The Birmingham Repertory Theatre since 1993. ★★★ (more…)
-
Restaurant Review: Slug and Lettuce @ Brindley Place, Birmingham
Slug and Lettuce is a cocktail bar that serves food, and it is a place where I have always had a good time, having booked it for my birthday a couple of years ago. Last night was the first time I had ever eaten there, and it was my guest’s first time there too. (more…)
-
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Las Iguanas in Resorts World Birmingham
Last night, I travelled to the exotic and vibrant Las Iguanas with high expectations, for I had already been before, and had always had a good time.
This visit, however, exceeded every expectation I had. It was my friend’s first time, so was great to relive the Las Iguanas experience once more.
A fiery start was had when we arrived at the bar to understand it was happy hour, slogan of which read: “Create Your Happy Hour”, with a choice of 25 cocktails to mark 25 years of Las Iguanas. With mixologist Kevin’s help, the first hour was a truly happy one, imbibing rum and ginger based cocktails that had some heat kick.
The happiness ensued as we finished our cocktails (Dark’n’Stormy x2, and a Ginger and Orange Caipirinha) to be escorted by a very friendly front of house member of the team who took us to our table, enthusiastically explaining everything on the menu ensuring we knew what to do.The mixture of Latin music and the effervescent energy of the staff contributed to an atmosphere worthy of the tropics. The mood was certainly heightened once Josh, our waiter, had introduced himself and by offering to help us choose some Tapas to try for starters. We took Josh’s recommendations and ordered Gambas (king prawns in garlic, lemon and chillie sauce); Nachos; and Pato Taquito (roasted duck with caramelised onion rolled in a flour tortilla, with a spicy cranberry salsa), all of which only cost £15. The prawns were a sensation with an incendiary edge that lingered warmly on the palate, with a zest that equalled the fire of the chillie. This was my plus-1’s favourite dish of the night, having spooned the remains of the sauce and come close to asking the waiter to doggy-bag the rest. For me, the duck was the winner with tender and meaty chunks, dipped in a cranberry salsa ingeniously corrupted by chillie. After many a dip, I don’t think cranberry and chillie should ever be divorced from each other again!
Being a returnee, I went for my favourite dish at Las Iguanas which was Marinated strip-steak Fajitas (£15.95), while my guest had the Sea Bass (£13.50). The sound of the steak sizzling was part of the Fajita experience at Las Iguanas, where you can hear it come before you see it. It was accompanied by generous sides (guacamole, soured cream, jalapeños, tomato salsa, cheese) all to go on my warm and soft wheat tortillas. The Sea Bass, according to my friend, was of a rustic nature, appeared and tasted fresh and was as comforting as a stew on a cold winter’ day (appropriate of course!)
After finishing all our food, I was teased by the dessert menu, but had no room for more; a shame as I would have loved to have tried either the Dulce de Leche Macadamia Cheesecake, or the Aztec Chocolate Fudge Cake, which appeared particularly special with it being made with spiced orange sponge.
Las Iguanas did itself proud again, with an excellent atmosphere, to-die-for food, and second-to-none service, especially from Kevin and Josh who both went out of their way to satisfy our queries and make us feel at home. We are already talking about the next trip. If you want a hot experience in a wintery season, go to Las Iguanas!Reviewed by: Alex Da Silva | @AlexMDaSilva
Address: Las Iguanas – Ground Floor, Resorts World Birmingham, Pendigo Way, Birmingham, B40 1PU
Website: http://www.iguanas.co.uk/
Star Rating: *****
Cost Rating: £££
Tipping Policy: An optional 12.5% service charge will be added to your bill.
-
THEATRE REVIEW | The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Birmingham Rep
★★★ – a delicious journey into Narnia
-
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham
Last night, I went on a palatable trip to Spain with Tapas Revolution in Grand Central – Birmingham, restaurant of which was started by the passionate and Spanish food enthusiast Omar Allibhoy.
Tapas Revolution has been around since 2010, with three existing restaurants in London, and now Tapas Revolution Birmingham has made a grand opening in the second city, and boy – what a gem it is!
Specialising in Spanish food, in particular Tapas – food that is prevalent in most regions of Spain where various dishes are displayed to share and sample at leisure, this restaurant combines tradition and modernity within a contemporary setting, with an oval-shaped bar where you can grab a sneaky dish, to a spacious dining area with view to the whole of Grand Central, adorned with quirky wooden features, that made you feel at Spanish home. In this space, we had a table to fit all of our Tapas choices.
I went along with my Spanish friend, who was slightly dubious about authentic Spanish food situated in Birmingham, but with a warm welcome from the service team, and a later introduction from Omar himself, we succumbed to the pleasant atmosphere. My partner’s face lit up as soon as he saw La Socarrada on the menu which is a beer renowned for its rosemary and honey tones, but it was a close match between that beer or the ‘er Boquerón’ famous for using sea water during the brewing process, so after all this, I knew he had been won over.
We ordered few Tapas, all of which were priced below the £6.00 mark, and in fact all Tapas come under this price, which makes it flexible to have fun and be unashamedly creative when choosing different combinations. We went for: Torreznos con mojo dulce (crispy belly pork, with spicy sauce), Croquetas de Bacalao (béchamel croquettes with deep-fried cod), Pulpo a la Gallega (steamed octopus with paprika potatoes) and Patatas Bravas (deep-fried potatoes with spicy tomato and alioli). All dishes were sublime and tickled the taste buds: the winner for me was the crispy belly pork in spicy sauce which was perfectly cooked and seasoned to the point of being able to order five dishes of Torreznos.
When our Tapas arrived, we were greeted by the friendly and bubbly Omar who took pride in asking us about our thoughts and took time to share his story of how Tapas Revolution came about. The most surprising fact learned was that Tapas Revolution is the only restaurant in Grand Central to have cooks start at 6am to have the finest food prepared and made for the opening time.
I was so impressed with the whole experience, from the atmosphere, the service, and was extremely inspired by the Omar’s hard-work and dedication to his restaurant, as he told me that he comes up and down on a weekly basis to cook, manage and serve Tapas to the highest standard and at a very modest price.
I am already forcing my colleagues to go and visit, and picking dates on my diary to go back!
Reviewed by: Alex Da Silva | @AlexMDaSilva
Address: Tapas Revolution –Grand Central, 68A East Mews, Birmingham, B2 4XJ
Website: http://www.tapasrevolution.com
Star Rating: *****
Cost Rating: ££
-
THEATRE REVIEW | Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs)
★★★★ – packed with explosive surprises. (more…)
-
THEATRE REVIEW | Sancho
★★★★ – timelessly humorous, and endlessly brilliant.
When an actor comes on stage and asks the existential question “Who do I think I am?”, then we know it’s going to be a reflective piece where we and the actor come together and ponder the meaning of life, and begin dwelling on the smallest of things. ‘Sancho’ graced the studio theatre of The Rep with an energetic, hilarious and, with many shades of brilliance that grabbed the audience’s attention instantly, performance that left us wanting more by the end.
Patterson Joseph wrote and performed the evocative and stunning production: ‘Sancho.’ It is the story of the first black gentleman in British history, which happened during the reign of Elizabeth I era, and monarch of which was extremely xenophobic. The black gentleman’s name was Charles Ignatius Sancho, and Patterson discovered the portrait of the said gentleman which was painted by Thomas Gainsborough, painted in a book entitled ‘Black Britain’ by Gretchen Gerzina, and this fuelled his research and the eventual creation of the play.
It would not be existentialist if it didn’t have a plethora of Hamlet references deliciously embedded in the writing. Being a Shakespeare geek, I celebrated enthusiastically with every Hamlet quote spoken, such as, ‘Frailty thy name is…”Sancho”’; ‘That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain!’ and of course ‘The play’s the thing…’, all of which, I most powerfully and potently believe were designed to connect the thought of the actor with the audience’s thoughts about existential matters. It is clear from Patterson’s experience with performing Shakespeare plays that he is able to aptly adapt his writing to the era, and easily transport the spectators to the 16th century, where he laid his scene.
-
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Rugby Burgers @ West 12 Bar & Grill
Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at West 12 Bar & Grill, at Birmingham Marriott Hotel, just in time for the opening of the Rugby World Cup. For the duration of the Rugby season, the Marriott Hotels are hosting #BurgersandBubbles, motto of which is: ‘designed by champions, served with champers.’ Celebrating Rugby events in style, Marriott and International Rugby Players have collaborated into creating the bravest, beefiest and bulgiest burgers I have ever held in my two hands.
My dinner partner and I decided to go head-to-head with the two available Rugby Burger options. So, representing Australia, my guest went for The Burke burger, designed by the Australian fullback Matt Burke himself, who must have been a huge fan of sweet and sour, for the concoction of beef burger, grilled red onion, beetroot and pineapple behaved rather saucily in my partner’s mouth. At home, I represented New Zealand with the Hardman burger, created by Brad Thorn, the lock of the team, and I have to say, if I had even attempted man-handling the burger, it would have given me a locked jaw. Thankfully, we were both given steak knives to tackle the scrummy masterpieces. The Hardman was smoky and earthy with the venison, crispy streaky bacon, fried egg and tomato chutney combination. It was a draw, for both burgers equally delighted the taste buds of the burger captains.Our evening was made extra special by the restaurant team, who did nothing more but care for us. It was very kind of the Hotel General Manager, Gordon Tyler, to personally welcome us, joke about the world cup and assuring us that we were very welcome at West 12 Bar & Grill. He told us, ‘it is a very exciting time of year for rugby fans,’ and though we are not dedicated Rugby fans, we were soon in the mood for celebrating. Our waiter Sam led the team with care, dedication and a pleasant smile that went with every course. He was very passionate about the wines that he let us sample, and was very good listener while we shared our views about each one. It was not quite around the world in eighty glasses, but as we gargled the tasters, it felt we were being transported to the climates of the hot countries of Chile, Italy, Spain, France, where the wines were made. Our favourite was a red wine which accompanied the red meats deliciously, and though the name has escaped my mind, it was a combination of a Shiraz and Cabernet, and boy did it dance around our heads.I take my hat off to the chefs, who talentedly infused the finest ingredients by presenting both the starter and the main with formidable style and elegance, and the meaty burgers that made us fall-back and made us feel slightly self-conscious that our hands were not qualified to master the handling of the meat in between the two gigantic sesame-seeded buns.
England beat Fiji 35-11, last night. So, it was an all-around successful night.
Reviewed by: Alex DaSilva
Address:
Telephone: +44 121 452 1144
Website: Click here
Star rating: ★★★★★ (explained)
Cost rating: £££ (explained)
Tipping policy: Discrectionary 12.5% added to you bill
by Alex Da Silva